Sweden's Oskar Kardin triumphed in the men's 102nd Vasaloppet on March 1, 2026, clocking 4:14:45.5 after swapping skis mid-race amid heavy snow on the 90km course from Sälen to Mora. Norway's Emilie Fleten dominated the women's race in 4:24:26.3, while Frenchman Jérémy Royer claimed a strong 16th place.
The 102nd Vasaloppet unfolded under grueling conditions, with up to 25cm of fresh snow overnight, wet snow at the Sälen start, and track resurfacing from 6am. Times were about six minutes slower than the previous year. Of 14,531 registered participants, 13,359 started, but nearly 3,000 dropped out despite extended cut-offs, with 10,379 finishing. Expert Anders Blomquist called it a 'real nightmare' due to unpredictable weather.
In the men's race, Oskar Kardin of Lager 157 Ski Team attacked with 8km left to win in 4:14:45.5. After one-third of the race, he swapped skis due to poor glide—borrowing from second-place finisher Alvar Myhlback, who trailed by just 4 seconds. Nils Dahlsten took third at the same margin. 'It feels unreal... I've trained long for this, it makes you emotional,' Kardin told SVT.
Frenchman Jérémy Royer (Team Eksjöhus) impressed in 16th at 4:15:05, only 20 seconds off the win. He noted slow early going with snow messing the track: 'The frontrunners made a bit of a mess... difficult to get a good position.' Strong from 45km despite Lager 157's late dominance, Royer was pleased: 'Despite everything, I’m happy.' This follows his solid Ski Classics season: 2nd at Engadin La Diagonela, 10th at Marcialonga, 8th at Jizerská Padesátka—one of France's best recent Vasaloppet results. Simon Vuillet crashed after an early lead but recovered to 45th in 4:19:33.
Norway's Emilie Fleten (Team Ramudden) won the women's race in 4:24:26.3, pulling away in the final 28km. Hanna Lodin was second, 1:37.6 back, with Anikken Gjerde Alnæs third, 30 seconds behind Lodin. Defending champion Stina Nilsson placed fifth, 4:02 off the pace after starting behind the early break. French skiers Hanna Fine and Laurie Flochon Joly tied for 19th/20th in 4:44:00 (19+ minutes back), Noëlie Maurin 36th, and Léonie Harivel 62nd. 'Completely fantastic, huge,' Fleten said.
Drama struck Örebro's Markus Hallén Johansson, challenging for the mountain prize on his final Vasaloppet. Post-Evertsberg, he veered into a snowdrift avoiding a mass crash downhill: 'There was nowhere to go.' 254 from Örebro county finished.
